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Burning Ban Issued for Union County

Posted by Melody
Wednesday, November 23, 2016 9:27:00 AM

The Union County Fire Marshal has issued an open burning ban that prohibits open burning within 100 feet of a structure. This local ban is effective immediately throughout the County and will remain in effect until further notice. Anyone in violation of the open burning ban will be asked to extinguish the fire.
The open burning ban is authorized by the Union County Fire Marshal’s Office per the North Carolina State Building Code, Fire Prevention Code Section 307 to help prevent the potential for increased wildfires due to extremely dry weather conditions within the county. Open burning includes burning of leaves, branches and other plant material, in addition to the use of recreational fires, bonfires and outdoor fireplaces.
The open burning ban does not apply to cooking fires, such as grills or outdoor cookers.
In all cases, it is illegal to burn trash, lumber, tires, newspapers, plastics or other non-vegetative materials. Residents should be especially careful with any potential ignition sources such as cigarettes or sparks from lawn equipment.
The ban on open burning is necessary because of the dry weather conditions and the potential for the increase in human-caused wildfires in the region. As of Nov. 20, there have been 3,021 wildfires affecting more than 19,058 acres on state protected lands across North Carolina this year. In the mountains alone, there have been 1,203 fires that have burned 4,015 acres.